Time Machine
by Vanessa S. Quest
Summary: This is stand-alone set within the Frequency Verse, after Diplomacy of Youth and Zero-Dark but before other major portions. The guys go out to theater and dinner only things go wrong, fort, Hadji heroic.


Time Machine by Vanessa S. Quest

Stage smoke drifted into the front three rows, past the orchestra as the crescendo of music mimicked the swell of light and drop off, the stage darkened as the time machine and the time traveler vanished with a strike of a tentacle that seemed to come from darkness itself, the device center to the stage gone as the lights slowly returned to the theater as it erupted in applause.

The actors tasked as mordocks, elui, and the narrator return to stage call for the applause.

Benton and Race shrugged a contented look between themselves as they caught the enraptured looks of the two boys sandwiched between them.

"Wow! That was too tall for tv!" Jonny finally broke the silence, laughing gleefully to himself as he compared the theatrical production to the book he and Hadji had recently completed their own reports on.

"I do wish they had included the final scene with the dinner party, I feel they distanced themselves from the morality tale by excluding it." Hadji said thoughtfully.

Jonny rolled his eyes at him brother, "Are you kidding me?! No way! The pace of theater, they ended on the climax, it's way better that way!" He argued, still all smiles, and a stomach growl.

The adults let out their own chuckle at that, "It looks like these two want dinner now, too."

"Typical," Race winked to the redhead, "Dinner and a show is a classic set up, regardless of the order."

Benton seemed to try to not laugh at the wry humor that was going over his youngest's head, whereas his older son seemed to pick up on the joke and was thankfully taking the high-road.

"Luckily for you, we have reservations. I hope you kids are in the mood for Pho."

The excited exchange of high-fives seemed to indicate that this was an acceptable option as the four gathered up their winter coats from the coat room and readied for the outside world. The production was in the heart of downtown Chicago's theater district.

"Dad, thanks for taking us!" Jonny beamed, spinning to face his father, walking backwards on the busy sidewalk at the same pace as they headed forward.

"You're welcome son, what was your favorite part?" He smiled at the blond's antics as he mimicked the battle between the mordocks and the time traveller with the match stick in pantomime.

"When the hero fought off those cave monsters trying to free the elui, of course! What about you, Hadj?"

"I enjoyed the scene where the weary time traveller conveyed to his disbelieving party goers the woes of the future, the disbelief in the impossibilities."

"H. G. Wells was considered a horror writer, he did paint a bleak future, certainly." Benton concurred, empathetic to the party goers and the time traveller as he searched for a way to fix it.

"Are you kidding me? That was a metaphor for entropy! All utopias are dystopian, dad. You just don't know for whom at any given moment." Jonny challenged, "Think about the mordocks, sure they aren't empathetic, but the elui are their crops. The elui definitely had good lives up until their time to harvest, but the mordocks always slaved away to give them that until it was their time to feed."

Benton gave a thin smile only for it to drop into a frown as he didn't spot the connecting road he'd expected. "Now where is it…?"

"Which cross-street, pop?" Jonny asked as he turned to face forward, his eagle-eyes scanned for the road-sign they had undoubtedly missed by a few blocks.

"West Washington Boulevard." Benton frowned again, he'd seen West Warren, but the way the roads bifurcated and kept the same nomenclature, he wasn't sure if he was in the right spot.

"Hmm…" Jonny looked up ahead, "I think I see it, I'll go check—" Jonny darted off before his dad could call him back.

"Son—wait!"

"I will go get him, father." Hadji smiled as he took a fast few steps to close his brother's lead, already halfway down the city block.

"Boys—don't go running off, this area can get dicey!" Race called back, "Benton come on, let's catch up."

The redhead locked eyes with Race, the situational awareness conveyed as they moved toward a relatively isolated area dressed to the nines. They hastened their pace. "Boys, wait up!"

Jonny froze at the start of an alleyway, "Uh—sorry, didn't know this was occupied…" his hands went up defensively as a group of older teens and young men approached him, quickly cutting off his egress.

"Look what just came ridin' up on us, you guys."

Jonny's eyes went wide as he caught sight of the switchblade as it extended outward with a smooth slin-chk sound. "I didn't mean to… I'll just head out—I was just…"

"Just about to give us your wallet? Yeah, that's real generous of you, whitey." The voice came from behind, shoving him forward. Reflexively, Jonny grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him over, flipping him in a go-to judo move.

The move left him over-extended when the next lunged, and while he could compensate for the second with a shoulder-roll to slough the other man, the third caught him by the throat and dusted him with a glancing blow to the nose and sent him off balanced into the two men he'd felled and weren't all too happy for the wear. They pinned back his arms.

"Hey! Get offa me!" He kicked out, Jonny's eyes spotted Hadji at the entry of the alleyway only to quickly refocus on the man in front of him who picked up a chunk of brick and clock him in the side of the head.

"JONNY!" Hadji called out as the younger teen went limp in the hold.

The man wielding the knife spun toward the noise. "Well, well, a second fare. Boy, you give me your wallet and I'll let you run along."

"Let my brother go!" Hadji stepped forward, reaching for his own wallet.

"Yeah? Where's he?" The young man holding Jonny laughed as Hadji shrugged to the blond. "Oh damn, that's your bro? Mr. Goldilocks himself? Tch…" he spat at his own feet in disgust as he took in Hadji's dress clothes. "Got us an Uncle Tom, huh man?"

The guy fished through Jonny's jacket pocket for his wallet, "Jackpot!" Still pinning Jonny to him, he flipped it open and let out a low whistle. Hadji threw his wallet away from the alleyway, two of the gang members went toward the toss bringing the numbers down to five.

"You have our cash, now let him go!" Hadji called back, not liking the shift in the small gang's body language, or that Jonny wasn't struggling in the grip in the slightest.

"Holy shit, man, you won't believe this—this really _is_ jackpot! This is a Richie Rich _himself_. A fucking trust-fund baby, here." The man tossed Jonny's wallet to the guy behind him.

"Richie Rich…? This is Jonathon Quest, who the hell's that?" The guy asked.

"Man you really need to read the papers sometimes. This is that Dr. Quest guy's brat…" He laughed, "That guy's one of the richest men in America—no, the _world_."

Jonny let out a low groan, "Uh…"

"Shut up!" The second man punched Jonny in the stomach.

"Stop hitting him!" Hadji yelled back. "Let go of my brother!"

"Not likely, dog. I think we're gonna liberate a little more than his _wallet_. That's chump-change."

Hadji turned to look out the alleyway, Race and Dr. Quest should be here any minute, he just had to stall.

"If you truly feel that way, you must not injure him further, then—or our father will give you nothing!" He stepped closer to the gang. "Let me hold my brother, he is unconscious. _Please_."

"No way, I'm keeping this cash cow right here. Yo, bring the car around, man. I got an idea."

"I will not let you take him!" Hadji insisted, lunging forward, a hard fist in his diaphragm was his thanks. He folded on himself but still moved forward, catching his brother's wrist and locking tight to it.

The two men who'd left the alleyway returned- midair as Race tossed them into the brick wall of one of the buildings and a dumpster.

"BOYS! Where are you?!" Race's voice boomed.

"Race we are over here! Jonny is hurt!" Hadji took another blow, this one to his jaw, but he wouldn't let go of his grip on Jonny's wrist even as the other gang member hefted him up like a rag doll.

"…Hnnn…" Jonny groaned, otherwise unresponsively.

"You know what, take him with us too. If this bitch won't wake up, he'll know his _dad's_ phone number."

"Yeah, I wish _I_ could talk to my old man, too." The other laughed darkly, "Yo, hold those assholes off, tell them if you don't walk away the prodigal son'll come back as a jigsaw in the mail."

With that, two of the four remaining men pulled Hadji and Jonny into a beat-up Oldsmobile, tossing them onto the floorboards in the back and climbing in with them.

Hadji pulled into a seat and worked to get Jonny off the floor, they'd need roadway cameras to see them if Race would have any hope in tracing the car or the perpetrators.

Race and Benton entered the alleyway as Jonny and Hadji were being shoved into the get-away car.

"Boys!" Benton called out, reaching a hand forward, the crack of a gunshot bounced off the brick veneer.

"That's far enough, asshole. My guys and me are just going to hang out with your brats, I think 100 G should cover the babysitting fee. Per kid." He threatened. "Now sit tight while Holmes gets around the block, and then you'll be free to go on your merry little way and get our money."

"And if I don't sit still, hoss?" Race said, taking up a few steps.

"Well then you get that blond bitch back as an easy-to-assemble 100-piece puzzle."

Benton's hand went to his mouth, "Why would you say something so awful! He's _13_!"

"Shit, that's old enough to know the streets. I was already out of juvie for my third stint by then." Came the second man, "And that little shit flipped me. You should be glad I'm not there to make the puzzle, cuz I'd make it 500 pieces."

-JQ-

Hadji looked around the flat, the run-down building had a foul odor he affiliated with mold, he watched the men not vastly older than he or his own brother in the tagged room. He kept a hand on his brother's shoulder, very worried he wasn't coming around yet. Of the men in the room, the driver was absent, ditching the car he assumed.

"Come on Jonny, wake up." He spoke quietly to the blond, tapping his shoulder again. His eyes scanned the room again.

One of the gang members approached the pair, hoisting Jonny by the lapel.

"Let him go! He is _hurt_." Hadji complained as he reached back for his best friend and current responsibility.

"Oh come off it. White privilege here don't know the _meaning_ of hurt."

Hadji did not like the sound of that anger as the man raised back a fist and landed it into Jonny's cheek, then stomach.

"Stop it!" Hadji yelled out, "You know _nothing_ of my brother!"

"Your brother? Oh brother!" The man pinning Jonny's shoulders to make him a better punching bag laughed, "A kid like him is veal. In the land of milk and honey his whole life, silver spoons, golden dishes, the easiest life you can imagine—meanwhile I got five little brothers and sisters wondering when's the next time they'll _eat_. Fuck this guy!"

"He is not responsible for your disparage! His father has done a great deal for humanity to reduce poverty throughout the world."

"Yeah, that's good. Real good, he can do that little deal for _us_ too, and then I'll really feel he's done his part to eliminate _my_ disparage, but that doesn't change how a soft little bitch like this kid here ain't never known the violence I deal with daily. Did he watch his moms get shot dead in a drive-by? I don't think so. He ever watch his pops get taken away for twenty years on a trumpeted up charge by a dirty cop? Nah, that shit didn't happen." He tossed the blond to the corner of the room.

Hadji scowled as his brother simply rolled, landing limply as he hit the corner of the room. He made hurried steps to reclaim him, protectively sitting down as a buffer, cradling his head in his lap while checking his vitals.

"You know nothing of my brother or my family."

"I'm more a brother to you than that, but you knock yourself out." The guy said, "Yo, Marquis I gotta check on the tadpoles. They gotta be hungry, you packing?"

"Yeah Mon Capitaine, I'll keep an eye on them. But you're not going to try anything, are you—"

"Hadji. My name is Hadji, and this is my brother Jonny."

"Yeah, Hadji, you aren't going to try anything and make me shoot you, is you?"

"We will not." Hadji said coolly.

"That's real good. Give him your big's phone number, when my guys get back, we'll call them and then maybe we can get this dirty business over and done, and as long as you stay complacent my guy the Comte here will lend you a peaceful stay at our chateau."

Hadji nodded, his callused fingers smoothed down Jonny's hair as the teen let out another quiet groan.

"And shut him up. If he wakes up the tadpoles he's going to know a _real_ ass-whomping." The Marquis said.

Deep brown orbs looked through him in a cutting intensity. "I will see what I can do, but you will not touch my brother." Hadji pushed Jonny's eyelids up to watch his blue eyes, the dulled look in them was unnerving, as was the difference in sizes of his pupils. "Oh this is not good… Jonny, please hold on."

He let go of Jonny's eyelids, instead probing gently at the side of the forming bruise, he had to meditate on this, to let go of the anger he was feeling and focus his attentions to where they truly mattered- his family.

As the door creaked open, the two additional gang members from the alleyway near Union Park had returned. Hadji let out a slow breath of air.

"Man, we are going to be lux! Two-hundred-thousand dollars! How long do you think it'll take him to get that kind of money?"

"Banks keep that on hand easy. By this time tomorrow, we're going to be swimming in it. Just think, no more bill collectors, fresh diapers, and hell, we can even get this shithole repaired and clean out all this mold—with enough left over to get an exterminator for the rats!"

Hadji frowned as he looked across the men.

"Yeah, yeah… about that though…" the men looked at the two teens. "…How do we know they'll really keep _their_ mouths shut? We gotta get the money, too, first you know? It wouldn't be the first time a suit's lied about shit to us."

"Nah, he wouldn't dare. We got him scared. Plus, I was thinking—what if we make the threat crystal clear to him? Yeah? That one still hasn't got up from his _nap_. We could…" He looked at Hadji then back at his friend. "…Let's talk about that in the kitchen. Yo, Duc, Vidame, let's discuss this while Batard keeps an eye on our guests."

Pulling Jonny closer to him, Hadji looked at new additions uneasily. His hand moved to his brother's wrist, finding his watch and turning the face of the watch to activate the homing beacon. In meditation, he turned his focus outwardly, toward his brother.

In what could only be described as an idyllic dreaminess of childhood nostalgia, Hadji came to his brother on the coast of a warm beach. He smiled upon recognition of his brother's soul, a kindred spirit with pure heart, the childlike innocence reflected in happier times of their own youth.

He looked up and down the beach, he did not remember ever being at such a location and wondered if this was a dream of Jonny's, or a message.

The boy looked younger now, as he did when Hadji had first come to meet him, a spry ten in yellow swimming trunks, scuba mask, tank, and flippers.

"HADJI! There you are! I found something _amazing! _You have to come see!" He beamed, his hand encompassing Hadji's larger hand, though his reflection in the glass told him he appeared as he had back then as well—he too was three years younger at least in his brother's perception.

"What have you found, my friend?" Hadji smiled.

"Uh-uh! You've got to see it to believe it!" His infectiously large smile spread to Hadji in a ray of warmth that did not reflect the cold flat they were currently still in, their astral projections radiated with the warmth of summer.

"Alright," he looked down and saw a scuba tank, mask, and indicator watch much like his brother wore. No sooner than he saw it than he was in it, his own sky blue trunks replacing his formal clothing. He looked at his sensor, it was full, but the dial made no sense, it did not operate like the equipment they'd ever really used.

"Okay, come on—and _hurry_!" Jonny dove into the water.

"Wait for me!" Hadji called back to him, indeed hurrying so as to not lose sight of his brother. As they dove into the underwater cave he did recognize the scenery more, but much more from how he'd spent time imagining the sight as neither had yet to actually go to the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand. As they swam under the river currents and breeched the water level, the shades of soft blue-greens iridescence cast an eerily beautiful image before them the likes Hadji had never truly imagined.

Jonny took off his mask.

"Jonny, you shouldn't!" Hadji warned; his brother turned to smile at him mischievously.

"It's fine Hadji! I've got _plenty_ of time still!" He held up his watch to show the countdown, it read four hours and twelve minutes. "Want to explore some more?"

Hadji looked at his own watch which still told him his tanks were full but did _not_ give him a counter. He looked at his brother with a sense of growing understanding. "Yes. Yes, let us explore this place, Jonny."

"I thought you'd say that!" He giggled impishly, he nodded to a small cavern opening, "I think this is something you gotta see, Hadji!"

The comfort in his brother's ease made Hadji comply with the same ease as he did many things in his life. He approached the narrow opening and squeezed in behind Jonny, following his lead. The narrow cavern had a brilliant, pulsating glow of shimmering reds he'd never seen glow-worms produce.

"Every time I come in here, it been getting brighter and brighter." Jonny said in a disquieted, impressed awe. Now wearing a calm smile, he turned to face Hadji, "I've still got time, but you need to find dad and Race. They'll be worried." His nose scrunched as if it was a minor detail. "But aw man, it's some view isn't it Hadji?"

"…That it is. Jonny, is this—?"

"Yeah. Yeah it is, Hadji. I don't understand it, but I also don't think I need to. I'm going to keep exploring, it looks like you need to head back for now, though. Catch you on the flip side!" Jonny pulled his scuba mask over his face and dove back into the still water. "YIPPEE!"

The splash sent shockwaves through the caves, dissolving the mirage into more deep sea exploration, riding sea turtles, the boys returned to the surface of the ocean. Jonny flopped onto the beach first, turning to spot Hadji as he did so.

"You got _old_ Hadj, real old." He laughed again, Hadji looked at his own reflection in his brother's mask, now his sixteen year old visage. "But I'd recognize you anywhere." He waved casually at the teen and before Hadji could process it, he was pushed out of his brother's wavelengths and back into the moment.

He blinked aware, the chill in the air far different than the warmth he had just felt. Riding the sea turtles _had_ been a memory, but Jonny was sending him a dire warning, well only as dire as his little brother seemed to take things. He had four hours. Four.

Hadji looked around the apartment again, his brother let out a muffled groan, his skin looked clammy now, not a good sign.

Watching the space, he saw the handful of men and boys in the living room and off into the kitchen. He touched Jonny's watch to activate the radio feature to transmit.

-JQ-

"Race! Race, Jonny's beacon is activated."

Race nodded at Benton, both men stood around the hotel bed and were pooling over action plans they'd drafted up. There were more variables than they wanted to admit. They didn't know who had the boys, how many, or their real objective. While it _seemed_ to be a simple grab, it was never safe to make such blanketed assumptions.

Luckily, Korvin had men nearby that could assist, and he was so far sending over a handful of his finest to make the assist.

The door knocked just as the radio crackled on. Both Benton and Race swiveled to look at the door and then back to the radio.

"Jonny, it will be alright. We will get out of here _in time_." Hadji said in a hushed voice, clearly speaking in code for the adults to understand.

Race looked at Dr. Quest before reaching for his own, he sent a signal of soft beeps to confirm they could hear him.

"Wherever our father and Race is, I am sure they are working quickly. Please wake up _soon_, you have not woken up since they hit you and I would very much like to hear your voice."

Benton's hand went to cover his mouth. Race nodded, he went to the hotel door and checked the peep-hole. Spotting two familiar faces, he opened the door and gestured them with a shush to stay silent.

"Our five hosts may not seem to like you, but if they got to know you, I think they would change their minds, but if you cannot wake up for now, I understand. I will be by your side. I will protect your physical form as best I can."

The radio transmission ended.

Locking eyes between the two agents, Race, and Benton, they looked over the map. Benton put the marker on the signal's fixed location.

"The boys are nearby, good, we'll be able to facilitate a rescue quickly."

"The sooner the better, before you got here Hadji let us know Jonny is unconscious."

"Unconscious? Any idea how?" asked one of the seasoned agents.

"There were signs of a struggle from what I could make out, and it looked like Jonny got in a few good shots but then… I think he took a hard blow and was TKOed. There wasn't any blood at the scene, so likely he got clobbered, maybe in the head or maybe the neck, but the way they're tossing him around isn't good."

"Hadji is with him, and I'm sure he's looking out for his brother, but I'm very worried. From what they were saying they most certainly don't value Jonny's life and if he _can't_ defend himself, Hadji is at a much greater disadvantage." Benton reasoned. "Do we have any idea who these hoodlums may be?"

"From the pictures Race captured on the pen-camera, well, they belong to the Aristos, a small gang that seems to really like French titles, they're mostly into petty theft, muggings, and some grand theft auto but they've kept out of selling guns and drugs. A few of them have done stints in juvenile detention and in prison, but they're street kids, more wards of the state that the state just doesn't want. If there's five of them, and you got images of the Marquis, the Duke, and the Bastard… the other two are probably either the Bishop, the Count, or the Captain. If we're lucky it's the Captain and the Bishop. They're pretty cut-and-dry non-violent offenders, but the Marquis…" he let out a long whistle, "He's a blood-thirsty, angry little shit."

The woman stretched, "My name is Agent Lillian Porter, feel free to call me Lil or Lily. This here is Agent James Cannon, feel free to call him an asshole. Though, I hear he knows you guys."

"Oh Lily, just call me Wild Jim Cannon, Race here was part of the infamous Cannon and Bannon Dynamic Duo."

"Bannon and Cannon, and since when are you back in Intelligence One? I didn't even hear you got out of that hole in Kabul."

"Yeah, well, I have a guardian angel who's gotten me out of a few tight spots. Said angel asked I do some freelance with I-1 and keep down their paperwork for a while and I figured a steady paying gig would be nice."

"A guardian angel?" Race's eyebrow shot up.

"Yeah, who knew right! I hear it might be the legendary Wolf but that's only hearsay. If I'm supposed to be here I guess that's where the answers will be too, though. Besides, as far as I know, I haven't even met the Wolf." He shrugged, "Damn shame if the kiddo is hurt, I don't like _that_ at all, so let's nip this is the bud and you can leave me to figuring out where I made my friend."

"…Race, who's the Wolf?" Benton's eyebrow arched.

He shrugged, "An urban legend among field agents. Their reputation is preposterous, from stopping a 50-man army with 3 people and not enough ammo, to breaking up a bank robbery and prevented a bomb from going off inside that would've killed everyone, the guy supposedly put down a serial killer who went after him, and dirty agents to boot, hell, I've even heard the Wolf operated in Asia and took on Zin… frankly, I think _some_ of the stories are about the Quest family and got misattributed as the fishing story got bigger and bigger, you know like how the Lady in Grey had such a mythos."

"Who said the Wolf's a guy, old bean? If I'd met them and I'm their _friend_ somehow, I'm counting on it being a lady. She's clearly fallen for my charm," Jim touched a hand to his chest, "Plus in the few letters, she's called me 'Loose Cannon'and you know where _that_ nickname gets thrown around. And it was signed the Wolf."

"…If they called you a loose cannon _and_ let you out of a brig they really must be crazy or a front." Race laughed. "Anyhow, we'll leave you to worry about your mystery on your own time. What we need is a plan to get the boys back."

"Sure, Race." Jim cracked his knuckles, "So first question, are you planning to pay the ransom or not?"

"We could lure them out with it, but Jonny doesn't have that kind of _time_."

"True, but you can hardly go knocking on their doorstep and resume negotiations, do you think you can get Hadji to push them to _make_ the call? It'll get half of them out of the building and that'll make it much easier to get the boys out, especially if your youngest is immobilized." Lily offered.

"We can send the signal, but it's not without risk. If we do that we need to be near enough to roll in, in case it's discovered."

"Sure thing Dr. Quest." Lily smiled, she fidgeted with her black ponytail smoothing it out as she refastened it.

-JQ-

Brow-lines creased deeply on Hadji's forehead as he watched his brother and counted his pulse, stilling his own ill-ease, he focused on his meditations and let go of the physical constraints of his mind.

The warm beach he found himself on was not so different than the one he had been on earlier, though he could clearly tell this was the Florida Keys, his brother waved him over eagerly with an exaggerated grin on his face.

"Heya Hadji!" He waved him closer, "C'mon! I'm over here!"

He felt tension leave his physical body as his psyche waded deeper into his brother's, the infectious warmth of that smile spread across his lips, "Oh, Jonny! There you are."

Jonny was still all smiles, the young boy rolled his eyes at his brother as he manifested as a teenager in his mind, Hadji looked at his brother, he seemed even younger than before. "Hadj, I want you to see something… c'mon and hurry!" He grabbed Hadji's wrists and pulled him toward over brush where a blanket was laid out.

Suddenly, the calming aspect of his brother's soul tilted on him, the creeping anxiety of what he saw- or more,_ who_, made his focus slip. In that gap, his psyche returned to the beach, now a solid twenty yards from the boy. He intensified on his own focus to calm his own turbulence, to stay in his brother's untrained mind took a great deal of concentration and focus, he could not make such a slip. He looked at his own watch that told him he had a full tank still. His brother's display was flashing red-orange with the warning of only another hour or so remaining.

He walked with a purpose to return to his side and spotted the figure on the blanket, still a ways away.

"Hadj, mom came to see us! We're going to go on an adventure. I've still got _plenty_ of time—d'you know where dad and Race are yet?" He tilted his head as he shot his brother a smile, "They're keeping us all waiting and you know how much I hate to sit still." He waved his hand, "Okay mom! I'll be right there!"

"No! Jonny, you mustn't…" Hadji warned, "You mustn't linger with the dead…"

Jonny laughed, "Mom's not dead, she's right there silly! Besides," he held up his watch face, "I've still got time. As long as I have time, it's good. You gotta get dad and Race to hurry it up though, cuz I don't have much more." He smiled again then blinked, seemingly unaware of having spoken at all, "Coming mom! Listen Hadj, I'll meet you back on the beach in half an hour, deal?"

"…Jonny, please you must listen to me—"

"Trust me Hadji! I'm _fine_, and we'll have an adventure when you get back. I promise." His toothy grin only made Hadji more pensive. "Besides, mom's hardly a mordock, or some inky entropy, but time's counting down…" he blinked, "…where _is_ dad and Race anyway?"

"Your dad needs you Jonny, we all do!" Hadji was shocked to find himself in the ocean as he spoke and bit his lip in frustration that he'd lost his focus.

He opened his eyes to look down at his still brother, the clammy, pallid skin was unresponsive as he stroked his cheek, he heard a tell-tale beep and his eyes rapidly fixed on Jonny's wrist. His hand travelled to it to read the message sent there.

'Have them contact us.'

Hadji nodded to himself as he gently peeled himself out from under his brother's form, he took off his own jacket and rolled it into a pillow which he slipped under his brother's head as he took away his lap. As he stood he approached the two gang members chilling on the couch nearby as they watched a static-laden tv.

"Marquis, Capitaine, you have yet to ask me for my father's phone number. My brother is getting worse. If he dies you'll get _nothing_. Please, please you _must_ contact my father now. I beg of you, my brother's life _depends_ on this."

"Oh, his life depends on that money alright, but we still got to plan it out. Just keep an eye on him and keep him quiet." Marquis bit back.

His counterpart looked at the pale teen just as his body began to seize.

"Jonny!" Hadji jumped back toward the blond as his arms and legs flailed into the flimsy furniture striking the coffee table and scattering stacks of newspapers, empty beer bottles, and a lamp.

"You son of a bitch!" Marquis shot up, taking rapid steps to tower over the pair.

"He is having a seizure! He cannot control that! Do not _touch_ him!" Hadji warned, he pinned his brother's head between his knees to prevent further injury to his head and pressed his hand hard under Jonny's jaw to prevent him from biting his tongue off.

"Oh shit…" Came the surprised sound of Vidame as he came out of the kitchen, "He's having a grand mal… you didn't say he was epileptic!"

Vidame rushed back into the kitchen before coming back with a small bag.

"He is not! He was struck in the head, he is bleeding. He _needs_ medical assistance!" Hadji said while Jonny's arms and legs flopped violently, a trail of saliva spilt from the corners of his mouth.

Vidame returned with a tablet of klonopin, he shoved the tablet between Jonny's lips while Hadji kept his jaw pushed upright. "What are you giving him?!"

"It'll help. One of my littles has seizures." He pulled Hadji's hand back if only so the pill could slip past the vestibule of his mouth then let him return to the tight hold.

"That is _not_ how it is administered during a seizure!" Hadji warned.

"Yeah well he isn't about to get rolled up to the ER, now is he? It's that or nothing!" The other man hissed, he pulled over a soda and shoved it against Jonny's mouth pouring in the sugar water to Hadji's utmost horror. The teen's lanky limbs dropped in exhaustion to his side like a disused marionette.

Reflex took over as Jonny swallowed some and coughed more of the liquid, the seizing episode over as his eyes rolled further upward. Hadji pulled his brother back to his chest, wrapping his jacket around Jonny as a swaddle to keep him from thrashing in the off chance of a rebound seizure.

"What's his old's number?"

"His what?!" Hadji asked, unsure of the world around him for the first time since he was but a small child.

"His _pop_, his old man, what's his number?"

Hadji called it out while still cradling his brother closer still. "It will be okay, Jonny. You must be okay. You cannot leave me, you simply cannot!"

"Uhh…" Jonny's eyelashes fluttered senselessly on the skin of his brother's neck as he continued to dream on.

Still cupping his brother's head to his own shoulder, he took stilling breaths, he had to check on his brother in the astral plain. The difficulty in finding his own center in the moment was only achieved as he visualized his brother's smile from the beach, he was holding something in his hand—a ruby—_Hadji's_ ruby as he used the reflection to pull his brother's attention in.

"Jonny!" He smiled reflexively, "Oh Jonny there you are." His breathing slowed as he hugged his brother more serene than he'd have thought possible moments before.

"Here, mom said I should borrow it for a minute." He returned the stone and as quickly as it exchanged hands, the gem disappeared from the astral plain.

Hadji saw the counter on the watch, it made no sense, he had _more_ time on the counter than he had before.

The blond looked more like his older form for a moment, Hadji blinked at that, "There's a ship." He said mischievously, "Want to go explore it with me? It's in the cove."

"The cove?" Hadji looked around, the rocky terrain more representative of their home in Maine than any of the previous beaches, yet it was still warm.

"Mom says it's a _pirate ship_…" He said in a sense of playful danger, "She says pirate treasure was usually medicine, not gold, but the real treasure is the hunt for adventure, don't you think Hadji?"

"Ah yes, the journey itself is worth more than the destination." His hand clasped against Jonny's shoulder. "But this journey is becoming _very_ dangerous for you, Jonny."

"Don't wax too poetically on me, Hadj! I won't get it. I'm not the narrator, I'm not going to vanish into the future too tired to return, besides, I still have a beacon." The two blinked at each other, Jonny's lopsided grin ever-constant. "Look, there's the lighthouse. Oh! And there's mom! Hey mom!" Jonny waved eagerly again.

"…Jonny…" Hadji looked at the boat as it drifted to the beach, the blond already had hold of the rope to pull it further onto the beach. "Jonny, this is the River Styx!"

"Oh come on, Hadj! Of course it's not. We're more _fish_ than boys… our whole lives have been in the ebbs and waves of the ocean. I'm coming mom." Jonny spoke to the specter in the boat, that while Hadji could sense it, he couldn't see it. "I've _got_ time… not much but," he pointed to the lighthouse. "I've got a beacon. I have somewhere to anchor to. Some_one_ to anchor to, just call me home soon, I'm sorry I can't take you on _this_ leg of the adventure, but I need you manning the station."

"…Then that is what I shall do, Jonny. Make it home to me, to _our_ family." Hadji reached to Jonny's hand, as his psyche fluctuated from a young child to a young teen, his claims of ebbs and waves felt more powerful. "Be careful."

"Aw, I'm much better at being reckless." The teen laughed, "Cast off already! C'mon!"

Hadji, with a fierce nod, did so and made his arduous psychic journey toward the lighthouse.

-JQ-

Flash bangs filled the small space with smoke, Hadji's eyes shot open in protective resolve. His head whipped around as he spotted Race and Dr. Quest, waving them toward him quickly, Race was first to the boys.

"Race! It is Jonny, he was hit in the head and I believe he is bleeding internally. We _must_ get him to a hospital post-haste! He had a seizure fifteen minutes ago!"

The white-haired man hoisted the teenager up in a smooth motion, though his body flopped limply. It was unnerving, as if he were deep asleep.

The exfiltration had been quick, and as Hadji's eyes focused, he came to realize why. They'd been moved to a second location. "Where is father?"

"He's at the drop-site, we couldn't chance them giving us the cold shoulder, so it had to look legit. The hospital has already been notified."

"Then I must help him how only I can. Race, we _must_ be his beacon, we are _his_ way back. You and father must keep speaking to him."

"Right, Hadji…" Race nodded stoically, he squeezed Jonny's cold hand, "Kiddo, we got you. Just hold on for a while more."

The boys were quickly moved back to the waiting car, Hadji hopped into the back with Jonny as Race slipped into the front, "I've got the package, we're exfiltrating now and en route to medical."

"Got it, Race, we'll keep your path clear." Wild Jim echoed through the headsets while hitting his own lights and streamlining the drive to the hospital.

"I guess that leaves _me_ with the paperwork and the local blues." Lily complained as her flashlight scanned over the abandoned structure Jonny and Hadji had been in.

"Aw, you knew it would happen the minute you called me an asshole, Lil." Jim shot back cockily through the radio.

"It's because you _are_." Lily reminded him, "Once you drop off the package, go pick up Dr. Quest."

"Wild Jim's Cabby Service at your beck and call."

-JQ-

In the waiting room of the OR, Hadji crossed his legs as he sat rigidly on the floor.

"Hadji, you said you spoke with Jonny- but that he hasn't woken up, kid?" Race asked.

"Yes. I have tapped into his _mind_, he has been unable to awaken, but he is in there. We must hold on to faith that he will come back but to do so, we must be his beacon and hope he still has enough _time_."

"…Time?" Race scowled.

"I cannot begin to explain this, it has been most inexplicable, but Jonny has been experiencing quite an adventure."

"Yeah, that's about right…" Race shook his head, that kid could jump into an oil pit and come out squeaky clean, he clasped his hands, he _hoped_. They'd cued him for a CT scan and the severity of the brain bleed had doctors already working on their condolence speeches. Race would _never_ forgive the son of a bitch who hurt the kid like that! He went through _enough_ in life, damn it!

Benton joined the trio in the waiting room, Phil Korvin had personally driven him back. This was _not_ the kind of dangers his family was supposed to face, he could _deal_ with terrorists, he could _understand_ doomsday cults, but for a mugging to go so far south after a family night at the _theater_, with all they'd faced it defied logic that _that_ would be what brought him to the brink of death's door.

Silently, he watched his oldest son meditate, unsure if this was helping him cope in some way, or if it was escapism. He imagined it was his own form of prayer as his oldest was so much more spiritual than the rest of them.

"We must be the beacon for him so he knows to come home now, Dr. Quest." Hadji reiterated, opening his eye to look at the three others in the room. Phil only gave him a casual look of disinterest that he gave anyone selling false senses of hope. "Mr. Korvin, there are things you literal types will simply never understand, but I have no doubt in my mind that Jonny will pull through, of this you will see. I believe this fully."

Benton clapped a hand onto his older son's shoulder, "You're right, Hadji. I believe that too. I _have_ to believe that." He looked at Phil as if to dare him to argue.

"I didn't come here to get into theological debates, gentleman, I'm a god-fearing family man, myself, I just came here to update you on the arrests. We have the five suspects in custody. The one they call Mon Capitaine said he was the one who struck your son."

"Oh, that is not true, Mr. Korvin, the man they called Marquis did this."

"…And he said he didn't, and the Captain said he, himself, did it. The Captain is 16, the Marquis is 19. This is typical gang tactics, they're trying to protect each other from _hard_ time, and Marquis is fast on the track for three-strikes here."

"Phil, while I can respect the difficulty of this situation, I need to worry about my _son_, not…"

"…Dr. Quest, these were very desperate people making poor decisions on the basis of their own prejudices. I, for one, believe Jonny would ask for leniency if he had heard what I had about them. While they may be a gang, they also protect each other's families and do so to survive."

Phil looked to Race then to Benton, "I can keep them detained for 24 hours without charging them, but the Captain has 5 small children he looks after."

"At 16?" Benton looked up as he ran the math, "Where are his parents?"

"He said his mother was killed and his father is in prison for 20 years on drug charges." Hadji said somberly.

"How are they not in the foster care system, Phil?" Benton was taken aback.

Race let out a low whistle, "Benton, welcome to Chicago. There's thousands of kids with sob stories like that and _not_ in foster care. There's not enough _homes_ for them."

Phil shirked toward his right knowing _just_ how true that was, "And gangs become those foster homes which makes for a violent cycle, but comparatively, this is one of the tamest, cleanest gangs I've come across. They _refuse_ to work in drugs or guns, and the Captain is the ring leader and probably why they don't. I'll let them sweat for 24 hours, and then you can let me know how hard you want me to push this, Benton. It's your kid, your call."

Korvin slipped out of the room, Race eyed his back as he left. Several moments later, he turned to see the questioning look on Benton's face.

"What… was that about?"

"Long and short of it, Phil probably would ask you _not_ to press charges, but they hurt Jonny and he can't bring himself to _ask_." Race wiped a hand down his own face. "But he is 100% right, right now, we need to focus on the kiddo."

"The misplaced anger they had did fall upon Jonny most heavily, but I do believe they were lashing out from their own pain." Hadji stood up, "The doctor will come in soon, Jonny is out of surgery now."

"How can you _possibly_ know that, Hadji?" Race asked, glancing at the teen as he smiled back.

"Simply, because he is standing behind you," Hadji smiled serenely.

"Dr. Quest, my name is Dr. Wilkes, Neurosurgeon," he extended his hand to shake it with the famous Dr. Quest.

"Please, call me Benton. How is my son?" He shook the man's hand reprehensively.

"We've moved him into the recovery room, he's still unconscious and there's still swelling but his vitals are stable. We had to perform invasive surgery to repair the blood vessel and remove the forming clot, there are strict gowning procedures to sit bed-side, but there's also a viewing area. I can take you to see him, and then my nurse can walk _you_ through that gowning procedure to sit in with him for a short while."

The trio nodded, following behind the neurologist.

"You must understand, it is still touch and go, and he is very vulnerable right now to infection, so if _any_ of you have a cold, the sniffles, or _hay fever_, now is the time to say so."

"No sir, we are all quite healthy." Hadji bowed his head in respect.

The doctor looked at the two adult men for confirmation, both nodded.

"Alright then, this way please."

Hadji took a seat near the viewing window while Dr. Quest changed into green scrubs, the face shield and hair mask and gloves reminded him more of entering a pre-mie section of the NICU versus a post-op recovery room.

Meditating, Hadji found himself standing at the foot of the lighthouse. He scanned the area, he did not see his brother at all. For a moment, he felt a deep sense of dread, he looked across the water and spotted the small boat near the edge of the horizon. With renewed sense of purpose, he rushed up the lighthouse to light the way back.

As he found the crows' nest, he powered on the bulb, he didn't see the guiding mirror though. He looked across the emptied space, there was nothing reflective that would work. His hand shoved into his pocket in an act of desperation as his eyes watched the boat become a smaller and smaller dot on the horizon. His hand surrounded his ruby.

The profoundness of the stone, in the right place, at the right time, he pulled it from his pocket and aligned it with the shine of the light. The cast of the glow struck across the water in a magnificent hue of pink that rivaled the sun.

"Come on, Jonny… come back now. You are out too far this time, you _must_ come back…" Hadji whispered to himself, his body facing his brother's in the hospital room.

-JQ-

Race turned to watch the glint of light play off Hadji's ruby in his turban, he'd never seen it hit such a shade, he turned to look back at the still figure in the bed, his own hand on the glass as he had his own thoughts of the boy swallowed in his _own_ headdress. Half the kiddo's face was obscured by gauze, his snores were just audible from behind the window.

Looking at the boy's face, it was hard to say that even _was_ Jonny, the swelling made him look so foreign, so _strange_. "Kiddo, if you're in there, now's the time to start waking up…" He whispered to himself, his hand pressed to the glass as he rested his forehead into it. He caught the motion at the door in time to see Benton come into the room, he looked like a surgeon himself, purple nitrile gloves, teal-green scrubs, and the hair and face shield obscured most of his features and almost all of his red hair, but the splash of red eyebrows and those warm, brilliant blue eyes were an instant tell.

Only one other person had eyes like that, and he had his closed right now. Race's eyes landed back on the figure in the bed and then back to Hadji, his ruby was casting a soft light on Jonny's feet, he looked back to Benton to watch the man.

The way he picked up Jonny's hand had mimicked Race's own earlier action.

-JQ-

As the boat drifted closer and closer back to the shore, Hadji could see his brother was rowing it back in, the blond was still happily chatting with someone, he couldn't see them, but he suspected it was just as Jonny had said earlier- his mother was keeping him company.

"Please, Jonny, you must come back in now…" Hadji continued to implore.

As the boat made landfall, Hadji took the stairs three at a time to race to meet his brother at the water's edge.

Laughing, Jonny hugged the specter in the boat before hopping out of the worthy fare and helping to return the cast. Hadji caught up with him just as his brother had returned it to the ocean and tossed the rope back to the figure there.

"Jonny! Was that…"

Jonny turned to look at his brother, smiling, "Hey Hadj!" His face faltered, "…Where's dad and Race…?" He looked up at the sky as if noticing how dark it was starting to get.

"We are all waiting for you to wake up! We are here!"

"…Wake up?" Jonny laughed, trying to find reason to that, "I_ am_ up…" he looked around, "Oh man though, Hadj, it was great! Mom and I talked for _hours_… I told her all about you and Jess and Race, and what dad's been up to, and about _Bandit_… I even talked to her about how I _did_ teach him French commands." He laughed, Hadji's eyes fell to his watch, it was counting down.

"Jonny, you _must_ wake up now, you are running out of time! Please, I am here, your father and Race are here, we are waiting for you." He grabbed his hand to point to the scuba gear, "It says you are almost out of time here!"

Jonny blinked at him, confused, "Hadj, what're you going on about?" He looked at the watch, "I've got two minutes, there's still so much exploring I can do… in…"

Hadji's eyes shot wide as Jonny collapsed onto the beach, the sound of beeping shocked him awake from his astral state, in a start he rushed to the glass and pounded on it. "JONNY! Jonny please you must wake up!"

Race's eyes shot back and forth between Hadji and Jonny and the small divide. "Hadji, calm down—what's wrong…"

"He _must_ wake up…" Hadji reiterated, "Jonny, your family is _here_, please, you _must_."

Race was surprised to hear Hadji's watch let out an alarm, unsure of when he'd set it let alone why, it was a little after two in the morning.

Benton brushed his gloved thumb over his son's cheek as he kept snoring on, in a hush tone he whispered between the two of them, "Son, have you gotten enough sleep yet? Please wake up for a little while… You missed dinner."

The rapid flutter of blond-tipped eyelashes opened to reveal blue orbs, they swam across the room as if taking in the sight, he looked at the foreign image above him.

"…Doc…tor…?" Jonny's voice cracked.

"It's me, dad, son," his larger hands swallowed his son's as he rested in the hospital bed.

Jonny blinked twice as if accepting this as true before closing his eyes again, "Tired…"

Benton's head bobbed, "Are you? You've been sleeping for a while though." He hoped to keep the boy awake for a few more minutes, to get a better understanding of his mental state.

Jonny's eyes fluttered closed then opened as a flash of red caught their focus. In a slow, deliberate motion, his eyes cast toward the viewing panel and raked over Hadji and Race. His left hand lifted two inches as if to wave then crashed back down.

"…I was on an adventure…"

"What kind of adventure?" Benton smiled through the mask, "Tell me all about it, son."

"…Mom said…" Jonny's eyes fell back closed then shot open, "had to make it back… for the dinner party… couldn't get… too tired on …the last one. The giant squid… just like… Jules Verne…"

"Jules Verne? Not H. G. Wells?" Benton coaxed.

"Need sleep… see morning… in…" his eyes closed again as his snoring picked up.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning too, sleep well." He squeezed Jonny's hand, unable to give him a kiss and risk the contamination. "Dad has to step out for a little while, but I'll be back in another few hours so sleep tight."

"Mm…" Jonny grunted a soft acknowledgement in his sleep.

-JQ-

Benton took up a chair next to Hadji in the viewing room still in the teal scrubs, though the face shield, hair cover, and gloves were now off. "Hadji, how are you holding up? They didn't _hurt_ you did they?"

"No, sir, they did not."

Benton rubbed at his tired eyes, "Thank goodness for that, this was _not_ how I anticipated we'd end this trip." He blew out a slow breath.

"He told you of his adventures?" Hadji offered in kind.

"He's very disoriented, Hadji. He talked about—"

Hadji looked at the redhead, "In my vision, he was speaking to someone he felt was his mother, but I could not see her. I was _certain_ that if he went with her that he would not return… but he said we had to give him a beacon, he said that was what felled the time traveller, we arrived on beaches, some we have known and others we have not. He showed me the Waitomo Caves, and in one cavern… it was red instead of blue-green, that was when I was sure he was very hurt."

Benton's hand grasped Hadji's shoulder before pulling him into a fierce hug. After a long moment, he relinquished his grip. "…Son, he's going to be okay."

"I believe that, yes."

"That makes two of us." Benton smiled.

Both of the older Quests turned in time to see Race enter the small suite, similarly adorned in teal-green scrubs, hair cover, face shield, purple nitrile gloves, and tyvek shoe covers as he approached the bed pulled out the chair to sit next to the teen.

"Hey kiddo, you're sawing some serious logs there." He smiled down at the teen, he put a protective hand over his wrist and tapped on it.

"Mh, wha' time's it…?" Jonny groaned, his heavy eyelids blinked open. "…Race…?"

"About 6 in the morning, I thought you might wake up for a little."

Jonny blinked at him trying to focus his eyes, "This hotel's diff'rnt."

Race let out a wispy laugh, "Well, yeah that's true."

"…An' everyone's dressed weird…" Jonny turned his head slowly, he breathed a long groan.

"Try to stay still kiddo. Jonny, do you remember what happened at all?"

"…The play? Or the people after that…?"

"What people?" Race asked gently.

"Were they French Noblemen?" Jonny frowned, "…I don't _think_ they were…?"

Race squeezed his hand, "I don't think they were either."

"I had these dreams…" Jonny blinked sleepily, "There were ships… and cannons… and werewolves… and places I've only ever read about…"

"Oh yeah? Tell me about it, kiddo."

Jonny squeezed Race's hand back, "There was a court battle, a bishop and rook… knights… a marquis and a pilot fighting monsters but losing… so much despair and they were fighting themselves not knowing they were… and these monsters kept eating everything… they already lost but kept fighting to try to turn it around, I'm so tired…"

Race patted his shoulder, "You know what, why don't you try to get some sleep then? Do you want me to sit here until you fall back to sleep?"

"…The wolves weren't scary, it why the wolves were _there_ that was scary."

"Why _were_ they there?"

"…The _real_ monsters were coming…" the sound of snoring replaced the incoherent speech. Race pulled the blanket up around Jonny before heading out of the suite. He caught sight of Benton just as he left the gowning area.

"…Tell Korvin to do whatever he can for them." Benton shook his head, "But they aren't _just_ going back into that. They need a half-way home, _something_."

Race nodded, "Alright, I'll call him, Benton, what did the doctors say?"

Benton shook his head, "There's still swelling, until _that_ goes down…" he licked his lips, "he doesn't seem like he's in pain, does he?"

"No, but he's really out of it." Race replied.

Hadji looked between the adults, "Dr. Quest, Race, will I be permitted to visit with Jonny soon?"

Both adults locked eyes with each other, "Of course you'll be able to Hadji, just let him get some rest, in a few hours he'll probably start waking up again and then you can go in." Benton said in a gentle but firm tone. "Until then, I think you and Race should head back to the hotel and freshen up, maybe get breakfast?"

"And will you take breakfast?" Hadji asked seamlessly.

"When you both get back I will." He took the seat by the window. He picked up a copy of Jules Verne's The Lighthouse at the End of the World, "But until then, I think I'll sit in with him and read for a while."

-Fin-


End file.
